Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation:
The Complete Practice
(from the book Meditation: An In-Depth Guide by Ian Gawler & Paul Bedson)
Audio of Stillness Meditation, Read by Lisa Reid
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Take a moment to adjust your position…Gently close your eyes and settle into your posture.
Now, in your own way, take a few moments to relax your body. . . feel the muscles softening and loosening. . . relaxing and releasing. . . just simply let go. . . Perhaps a deeper breath of two helps.
With your eyes gently closed, become aware of the space before your eyes. . . just simply rest your attention there. . .
Now pay attention to any sounds outside the room . . . just listening. . . with the gentle curiosity . . . Let the sounds inside the room . . . Now the sound of your own breathing . . . even if very soft . . . just listening.
As you bring your awareness to your breath,notice what sensations there are as you breathe in . . . and as you breathe out . . . Feel the air touch your nostrils . . . Feel the slight movement of your chest and tummy . . . Listen to the gentle sound of your breathing . . . just being aware of the breath.
Next, bring your awareness down to your feet . . . Move your awareness through your feet . . . Notice any sensations in your feet . . . Just feel them . . .feeling into your toes . . . your heels . . . the surface of your feet . . . all through the feet . . . And as you feel into your feet, feel the flow of your breath . . . simply coming and going . . . just watching . . . quite effortlessly.
Now bring your awareness to your shoulders . . . Notice the feeling in the muscles of your shoulders . . . the base of your neck . . . a pressure or a tingling . . . Just feel it . . . simply noticing . . . And as you feel into the muscles of your shoulders . . . feel the flow of your breath . . . simply being aware of the breath.
As you are aware of the space before your eyes, become aware of the sensations in and around your eyes . . . Move your attention through your eyebrows . . . and across your forehead . . . Notice whatever sensations are there . . . As you feel through the eyes and across the forehead, feel the flow of your breath . . . just resting in the awareness.
Now, with a willingness to get in touch with how you are feeling inside, bring your awareness to your center . . . the feeling centerline of the body . . . Feeling into the throat . . . feeling into the center of the chest . . . feeling into the solar plexus . . . and feeling into the tummy . . . resting your attention along the who feeling centerline of your being . . . Keep the feelings company, with curiosity and compassion . . . just simply be aware . . . And as you notice the feeling in your center, feel the flow of your breathing.
Open your awareness to your whole body . . . Notice whatever sensations are coming up into your awareness at this particular moment . . . Perhaps the awareness of the space in front of your eyes . . . Perhaps the feeling of the breath . . . If any thoughts come to your awareness, just let them come and go . . . Watch the thoughts coming and going.
And notice the background of stillness . . . the background across which the thoughts travel . . . like white clouds drifting across a blue sky . . . Just noticing whatever comes and goes . . . just noticing . . . Being aware of that still and silent presence . . . simply resting in that stillness.
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